We recently connected with Victoria Marmet and have shared our conversation below.
Victoria, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I have always been into art and creativity since I was a child, even at school, my favorite class was art. Both my parents are artists, my dad is a drummer and my mom was a singer, so I guess I kind of grew up with this need to learn and explore new things and be curious. Because if you are not curious you cannot be creative. Creating is my way to express myself, in my clothes, my makeup, and my projects. I studied interior design but I am now a pastry chef and cake decorator. Even if those things seem very opposite, they are not really. Obviously, you need technical skills in both domains but creativity is there. As I said before, to keep your creativity alive you have to be curious. So I actually find inspiration everywhere. I love listening to music, watching documentaries, and going to museums and art galleries. Going to restaurants and traveling in different countries gives me a lot of ideas for my recipes. You just have to keep an open mind and creativity will find a way to you!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
To save her business, a young French interior designer turns herself into a pastry chef in a mere month!
Victoria Marmet, at 21 years old, was a young entrepreneur determined to make a name for herself, and as life would have it, she had no choice but to become a baker in just about a month in order to realize her dream: “My pastry chef left 3 weeks after we opened the bakery…”
Thanks to her lucky star, she met Mr. Calogero Romano, a renowned Pastry Chef formerly employed at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, who became her mentor and taught her the baking basics in two weeks. “It was undoubtedly the shortest training of my life!”
18 months later, Victoria wears her Chef vest with pride – but who is she really?
Originally from France, I moved to the US with my parents when I was 18 years old. Armed with my passion for design, decoration, and creation, I studied interior design until 2020. Then the COVID-19 pandemic altered my career plans.
4 years ago, I was drawing my designs on paper, today I create unique and delicious recipes that are a delight for the tastebuds and for the eyes.
Being an entrepreneur at 21 is not for the faint of heart, I had to convince bankers to support my project, find the best location for my bakery, and understand money matters and accounting… with grit and passion, I overcame these challenges and opened “Victoria’s Cake” on September 12th, 2021 in Westfield, NJ. Determined to impose my style while revisiting one of America’s favorites: the cupcake.
I designed and decorated the store, created the logo, and supervised every minute detail and today I am really proud of the result, as Victoria’s Cake is recognized in the community as the “French Salon de The”, flowery, chic, elegant, where customers love to stop and enjoy the delicacies as well as the friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Stepping into Victoria’s Cake feels like a trip to Paris: greeted by a “Bonjour, comment allez-vous?” and by the delicious baking scents, you are faced with the difficult task to choose between flaky croissants, fruit tarts, and baguettes, but also delicately ornated cupcakes and splendid layer cakes for your Sunday lunch or any other special occasion. And if you venture towards the back of the bakery and sit in the room facing the open kitchen, where I, the Chef operate my baking magic, well you might never want to leave…
It was my idea to open a tea shop, like the ones I remember from my Saturday trips with my mom when I was a child; a happy and cozy place where I would eat a pastry with juice or a hot chocolate, and where it felt good to spend time and enjoy the moment. I am very proud that I was able to recreate – and adapt – that spirit to make it relevant and appreciated here in Westfield.
My ambition for the coming years?
I want to open more “Victoria’s Cake” in the United States, protecting what makes it unique: the French touch, the welcoming ambiance, and the love for what tastes delicious and looks beautiful.
I create new cupcake and cake recipes and designs every 3 months to keep the customers surprised, engaged, and curious. I constantly work on new “looks and tastes” to keep me and my customers on their toes, and I love it. In life, you have to dare and reinvent yourself if you want to achieve big and beautiful things and leave your mark in your community.”
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Knowledge is the key to success. You should possess complete knowledge of your niche or industry. For only with knowledge can a difficulty be solved or a crisis is tackled. You should know what are your strengths & weaknesses so that they can be worked on and can result in a healthier organization. You should always try to increase your knowledge, and always be a good learner. The better an entrepreneur knows his playground, the easier he can play in it.
Professionalism is a quality that all good entrepreneurs must possess. An entrepreneur’s mannerisms and behavior with their employees and clientele go a long way in developing the culture of the organization. Along with professionalism comes reliability and discipline. Self-discipline enables an entrepreneur to achieve their targets, be organized, and set an example for everyone.
Trust your instinct! It is the most important quality you need to have is believing in yourself. Self-doubt isn’t an option when you want to be successful. You need to believe in your project and ideas and trust your gut!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Hiring! I created my bakery Victoria’s Cake almost 2 years ago and it is still me and my mom working every single day. Hiring people has been a reel challenge for us.
We are a professional bakery so we are obviously trying to find bakers, pastry chefs, and cake decorators with experience and skills. We tried hiring people without experience in the baking industry but they are not staying long as they feel tired or bored really fast. The truth is working in a kitchen is hard so that’s why we need people who are passionate and understand the work.
Also, hiring people to manage the cashier or finding a manager so we can take at least 2 days off is also hard. It is difficult to find trustworthy people to obviously take care of the business when you are not here.
I hope this is a challenge we will overcome soon as it is really hard to do everything yourself 7 days a week. The key to success is also delegating tasks so you can focus on other challenges.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.victoriascakeofficial.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriascakeofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriascakeofficial
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/victorias-cake-westfield
